Thursday, June 26, 2008

Talking stash

I'm making my first quilt ever totally from my stash! I pulled half the fabrics I own, and ended up chosing these.I love them! And they play so well together.

Choosing, discarding, putting back, arranging, rearranging -- the whole process was really fun and got me to thinking about the concept of a stash. When I first started quilting, I had no idea why anyone would have a stash. Don't you just decide on a quilt and buy fabric for it? Ha! I totally misunderstood the process. Having a stash is like having a mini-quilt store right in your own house and stocked only with fabrics you love. How much better could it get? It lets you design a quilt as you go, lets you make it your own. It's taken me awhile to get enough fabric to have any sort of stash (and mine is still pretty small). But I now know that if I absolutely love a fabric, I need to buy enough to really use. I have lots of fat quarters that are great, but it has become clear to me that I need several yards of certain types of fabric at the ready because they are what I always come back to.

So what will my stash quilt be? It's a twofer. The front will be a baby quilt for some friends whose baby is now overdue (talk about waiting till the last minute to make the quilt!). I'm making a Trip Around the World using Bonnie's pattern at Quiltville (I didn't have much yellow, and it's just a baby quilt, so I played around with the measurements and cut everything at 2-3/4"). Here's one panel.I'm using the leftover segments and fabric on the back to do some free-pieced zigzags and stuff (not sure what yet). Backs are great for practicing -- and who knows, the kid may like that side better!

Wanda at Exuberant Color made a wonderful TATW and I'm going to use her quilting idea. Thanks, Wanda!